Louisville Welcomes Marriage Tourism

On the heels of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in support of marriage equality, Louisville tourism officials are embarking on a marketing campaign encouraging LGBT couples to get married in Louisville. The Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau started the campaign earlier this week with a series of digital ads across social media promoting the slogan, “Say I Do in Lou.” It focuses on Louisville as a welcoming wedding destination, without regard to gender. The Louisville bureau formed a task force in March to see if it can attract tourism-related business involving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The group includes representatives of local attractions and accommodations as well as members of the Kentuckiana Pride Foundation, the Louisville Fairness Campaign and Louisville Metro Government.

The campaign will culminate with an all-expenses paid weekend getaway (or staycation, should the winners be Louisvillians) and wedding for one lucky LGBT couple. The CVB is currently working to line up sponsors for the wedding.“We want to do this campaign to welcome LGBT couples that can now get married,” she says. “Now they can come to Louisville to do it.” The wedding festivities will take place the weekend of Sept. 18-20, with the ceremony on Sept. 19. The reception will be held at the inaugural Louisville Pride Festival, also Sept. 19, and the CVB is calling this, tongue-in-cheek, the “World’s Largest LGBT Wedding Reception.” Louisville advertising firm Red7e created the digital and social media ads, all of which were done in short order given it’s been just a few weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality. “We wanted to follow on the heels of the excitement,” Ritchie says.